Tag Archives: indie

Theme Park – Theme Park

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Theme Park’s self-titled debut album, out earlier this year, is quite the disappointment. This indie-pop trio from London consists of brothers Miles Haughton (vocals, guitar), Marcus Haughton (vocals, guitar) and childhood friend Oscar Manthorpe (guitar). All in all, this album is inoffensive and easy to listen to and enjoy. However, it is essentially uninspiring and lacks energy. For me, I like to feel evidence of the care and attention put into an album. There is simply no passion, the vocals are clumsy and the songs are generic fillers despite being upbeat and vaguely charming.

Theme Park would certainly not be out of place filtering through an episode of ‘Made in Chelsea’, especially ‘Jamaica’ which is actually quite catchy. Similarly ‘Tonight’, ‘Ghosts’ and ‘A Place They’ll Never Know’ are chilled summer time beats. ‘Saccades’ is a very minimalist track… but I kind of like it.  If you’ve run out of sedatives and fancy a sleep this song is the answer. Like ‘Saccades’, it drifts in and out of clangy and relaxing moments, an interesting few minutes! One of my favourite tracks is ‘Two Hours’ which  has stronger vocals and feels more like a song than an ‘instrumental moment’ like the others. Primary to my concerns for this album is that the songs do not seem to be fully formed, resembling background music. ‘Big Dream’, ‘Wax’, ‘Still Life’, ‘Los Chikas’ and ‘Blind’ are sadly just a bit boring.

Theme Park don’t really seem to have their own distinguishable sound and despite being somewhat catchy, their songs are utterly forgettable. As always I feel that more time may be required to appreciate them. Essentially there is nothing wrong with Theme park … apart from a lack of excitement. They simply haven’t pushed the boundaries.  There’s no lyrical genius, only a central theme for the perfect fun time formula (pretty girl + some drinks + banter = good time). In fact if I hear one more “pretty girl” I might scream. This album is good as background music and I will probably crack it out again for a beach barbecue, it’s perfectly  suited for that sort of situation. However, how many times does that happen, in Aberdeen no less?  Unlike their name, Theme Park are less of a source for amusement, and more a crappy arcade.

5/10

Bailey Johnson.

Swim Deep – ‘She Changes the Weather’

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It’s pretty rare nowadays that a band manages to create a new sound, yet Swim Deep have somehow managed to achieve it with this new release. It’s such a diverse mix of elements – pop, grunge, psych, rock – that the sound is fresh, yet subtly done so as not to feel too weird. The music builds up to a wave of sound, incorporating soaring synth, surging drum beats and a catchy piano riff that give way to the slightly boyish tone of Austin Williams. It’s all got quite a summery, surfer feel to it, with a dreamy chorus describing a girl who “changes the weather in my bones, feels like it’s never getting cold”. That said, at times the track can feel a little wishy-washy, a bit too whimsical. Also, without that surging accompaniment, the lead vocals can sometimes appear slightly mundane; just like every other indie track. But that’s just a matter of personal taste. It’s that build-up of various instruments – electronic and acoustic – that makes this track memorable, and I’m sure the forthcoming album with be the soundtrack to many people’s summer.

Isla  Hodgson

Two Door Cinema Club – ‘Next Year’

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With the release of their second studio album, Beacon, Two Door Cinema Club have proved that they are a band to be reckoned with. Peaking at number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, this album has negotiated its way through the pressure of the difficult second album and come out on top.

The third single from Beacon, ‘Next Year’ is an infectious indie track with lyrics which express the sadness of the loss of contact with a loved one, be it a friend, partner or family member and the subsequent plans we make with them which are ultimately broken. The tone of the song strikes the same chord as The Cure’s single ‘Cut Here’: emotionally honest in terms of lyrics but also uplifting and catchy. The track is very much vocally centred, however there are some interesting guitar interludes which keep things interesting and the quick tempo ensures the vocals do not descend into an emotionally stifling nostalgic lament. The song has enough variety for a few listens, with a vocal interlude towards the end and a classic clipped guitar riff which can be expected from Two Door Cinema Club, however it is nothing ground breaking, and better, more exciting indie music can most definitely be found elsewhere. Saying that, it is a nice, easy listen and a good choice for their next single.

6/10                                                                                                                                  Elizabeth Ozolins

The Youth and Young – The Youth and Young E.P.

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It’s not unreasonable to argue that Scotland’s music scene is currently in excellent shape. As I write, Biffy have just come off of hitting number 1, Frightened Rabbit have invaded the top 10 and CHVRCHES are on the vast majority of popular ‘ones to watch’ lists. Oh aye, and Emeli Sande’s done pretty well, if you’re into the whole sales and awards thing. There are also countless bands and artists simmering away under the radar, producing some really exciting stuff. I might be biased, but I’m not sure there’s anywhere else I’d rather be. However, I don’t know if anybody in Scotland can claim to make music as unashamedly uplifting as that made by Dunfermline’s The Youth and Young.

Sure, you don’t have to look far to find bands that make anthemic, exhilarating, pure beastin’ tunes. But these guys are different. That’s not to say they’re necessarily better than every other band in Scotland – jeepers, it’s only their first E.P. – but they have a sort of immediate freshness that’s eyebrow-raising in the best possible way.

Let’s get the obvious comparisons out of the way. The male/female lead vocal combo sounds a bit like the one in Of Monsters and Men. Not only are any guy and girl who sing soaring choruses together now destined to be compared to them and/or Arcade Fire, but certain harmonies and lyrics sound like they could fit on My Head Is An Animal. Perhaps the other main point of reference is first-album Mumford and Sons, before they decided that every chorus should consist of a massive banjo-wank and a couple of vague, shouted lyrics. The Youth and Young only pilfer a little from the best aspects of Mumford – the emotive strings, the cheeky bits of brass and a couple of shameless ‘woah-oh’ refrains.

So yeah, that’s a starting point. However, what really makes The Youth and Young exciting is that they clearly haven’t tried to sound like anyone, they’ve just made the music they really wanted to. It’s entirely without pretension, and entirely charming. There’s even a good old-fashioned eponymous opening track – Alice Anderson starts with a folksy, melodic, understated yet soaring intro, before Ryan McGlone roars in, with disarming sincerity, “A song for my sweetheart and here’s how it goes…” Except, when he sings it, it sounds much cooler than it looks as it’s written there. McGlone’s vocals are probably the biggest revelation on the E.P. It grabs you. Probably the biggest compliment you can give a singer is that they can take otherwise unremarkable words (not that THaY’s lyrics are unremarkable) and make them sound like they’re somehow vitally important. He turned in plenty more-than-competent vocals for People, Places, Maps; here he’s a singer. Here, he’s legitimately comparable to the likes of Scott Hutchison and Roddy Woomble.

‘Airs & Graces’ is beautiful, once you get past the disarmingly Ballroom Blitz-like drum intro. Anderson’s counterpart harmonies start to sound a little too wispy towards the end, but generally she compliments McGlone’s burr really nicely. ‘Blanket’ might be the least immediately gripping of the six tracks on offer, but lyrically it’s one of the strongest, voicing romantic self-consciousness perfectly. They hit the ‘epic’ button with just over a minute to go, and if the ensuing mish-mash of trumpets parping and reverb-laden electric guitar leads to the only brief moment you think they might have gone a little over-the-top, all fears are gone by the time the next track gets into gear. ‘Live Without a Lot’ is the clearest “single” on the E.P., doing everything an anthem should. ‘Unsung’ is the introspective ballady-type one, which occasionally drifts towards the ‘cringe zone’ (yes, that’s a deliberately cringey expression) with its “you’ll always be a hero to me” motif, but there’s just enough sincerity there to keep it afloat. Closing track ‘The Colour Upstream’ is, if you’ll pardon the vernacular, a beezer. Anderson and McGlone seem to acquire a whole new level of passion. It’s busy and exhilarating, but leaves enough space for all the separate parts to contribute effectively.

The Youth and Young completely fit in with the archetypal folky, rocky, emotional bands that seem to have gained an astonishing amount of commercial success. What makes them so impressive though, is that they sound like they’ve reached that stage completely organically. While their debut E.P. isn’t perfect – as no debut E.P. is – it’s interesting, sweet and properly uplifting.

8.5/10

The Youth and Young’s debut E.P. is available FOR FREE (at the time of writing) from their bandcamp page.

Watch a teaser video for the E.P. here.

Alan Henderson

Bastille – Pompeii

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Well hasn’t Bastille done well in just 3 years! Currently touring in the UK, this four piece band from South London is finally emerging into public focus. The band consists of Dan Smith, Chris ‘Woody’ Wood, Will Farquarson and Kyle Simmons.  I wouldn’t really know which genre to place these guys in, most likely indie pop, as each of their songs are different which is nice and refreshing.

Bastille’s new single ‘Pompeii’, which is expected to be released on the 24th of February, is in my opinion by far their best. It has just the perfect balance of catchiness and originality. Dan Smith’s husky vocals are still quite fabulous and will no doubt have girls swooning at the sound. ‘Pompeii’ starts off with an interesting intro resembling Enya, and like Enya the rest of the song is atmospheric and comforting. However, don’t let this fool you into thinking that the rest of the song is a bit dull ( I still love you Enya), in contrast there is a bit more life here. This is a song you could imagine bopping along to at a festival.

The lyrics are difficult to catch at points, so for a while I couldn’t even make a guess at what the song meant or even try in vain to sing along. However, despite this the beat is good and this combined with all the key changes allowed that whatever Dan Smith was singing sounded great and really quite emotive. After looking up the lyrics these feelings are maintained, staying true to form Bastille has produced yet another song with charming lyrics. From what I gather, ‘Pompeii’ follows exactly as its name would suggest (the loss of a city that can still be remembered).

A really quite lovely song from an equally lovely band, highly recommended!

10/10

Bailey Johnson.

Local Natives – ‘Heavy Feet’

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Local natives somehow manage to retain a hippie-like calm and looseness with this track, even though the song itself is full of intricate little complexities. For example, the whirling drumming is incredibly precise, but when mixed with the dreamy, melancholy harmonies all edges become blurred, leading to an almost hypnotic result.

Lyrically, ‘Heavy Feet’ is beautiful. Details of Styrofoam cups and fireworks by the water transport the listener to a whimsical party, but further lyrics suggest something a lot darker. Even the chorus, with its surging, uplifting melody, is filled with sadness (“After everything/in the sun/Shivering”).  Lead singer Kelcey Ayers captures a feeling of loneliness with his words, despite the slightly brighter accompaniment. All in all, this is a lovely and atmospheric track – something to daydream to.

Isla Hodgson

Frightened Rabbit – ‘The Woodpile’

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Anyone who has listened to Radio One in the past month will undoubtedly need no help in knowing who Frightened Rabbit are. DJ Huw Stephens has been championing these Scottish Indie Rockers for a while now and excitingly they seem to be getting some attention from the British public.

‘The Woodpile’ was released on the 18th January this year and is already proving a success for the band from Selkirk. Formed in 2003 the five-piece band has also just released an album entitled Pedestrian Verse. I have listened to a few tracks from the album and I do think it is going to be very good. If you like ‘The Woodpile’ then I would definitely listen to some of the other tracks: especially ‘If You Were Me’ which is a heart-breaking song. To describe this band I think simply saying they are a Scottish Indie Rock band is enough to get the right idea. On a scale with Idlewild at one end and Biffy Clyro at the other they sit around the middle. The Scottish accent on the vocals never hidden will always indicate their roots.

The song is really quite good, although I do not entirely understand the concept of ‘The Woodpile’. The lyrics are great and there is a strong sense of emotion running through the track For me I’m going to give it a 6/10 whilst the song is good it is nothing particularly groundbreaking and if I wanted to listen to something like that I would always pick Idlewild (harsh perhaps, but true). However if you love your emotional Scottish Indie Rock boy bands then definitely give these guys a listen as they won’t disappoint.

Holly Abbott

Dog Is Dead – ‘Teenage Daughter’

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Having been lucky enough to see these lovely chaps last year at what was an exceptional gig, I was keen to hear the latest from the five piece indie band. Hailing from Nottingham they are a pretty standard indie band and this track is nothing extraordinary. That does not however make it necessarily bad, doesn’t take away the fact they are a brilliant live band, nor does it stop the bass player looking bizarrely like my younger brother (WEIRD). The track comes from their debut album All Our Favourite Stories which is out now to buy.

The track is a chilled, laidback affair with a nice catchy melody and it builds at a good pace to a pleasing climax. I don’t entirely understand the meaning or emotion behind the song, perhaps I am a simple creature but without a story or feeling behind a song I do find it hard to attach myself to a track. It is, however, very pleasant to listen to and is well written. There may be nothing technically wrong with the track, but I just don’t feel it. This makes me a bit sad because they are a band I’ve really liked over the past year, but I guess that’s one of the worst (and best) things about music. It either gets you or it doesn’t.  Therefore I am giving this track a 4/10 as I am not a great fan, but I am not going to give up hope with Dog Is Dead as I know they really can be so so brilliant.

 

Holly Abbott

Foals – ‘Inhaler’

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‘Inhaler’ is the first release from Holy Fire, the hotly anticipated third album from the Oxford five-piece. Fans of Foals’ previous work will admire the typical, raw falsetto sounds of Yannis Philippakis’ vocals, the pulsating rhythm and that alternative indie-rock vibe they carry out so well. Yes, the denim-clad, bobble hat wearing titans of indie-pop are well and truly back. Though this time, it seems, they’ve grown-up a little. Gone are the bouncing indie kid riffs of the likes of ‘Cassius’, and in its place is a filthy bass line and a sick chorus, hailing of mid-90s industrial metal.

The characteristic riffs are still there though; clearly heard in the opening twenty seconds, Jimmy Smith’s guitar tickles in the metronome-like fashion you’d expect after hearing the whimsical notes in songs like ‘Balloon’. It’s a belter of a track with a full blown, unforgettable chorus.

That said, don’t expect the beauty of ‘Spanish Sahara’, or the intelligence of my own personal favourite, ‘This Orient’. ‘Inhaler’ has a whole different sound to it; more hard-hitting and punky. The lyrics aren’t particularly thought-provoking, mostly consisting of well-worn phrases (“sticks and stones break my bones/lock and load/I shimmy shake/I wake and bake”). But the music itself is clever and original. Whilst it may not quite reach the heights of their previous singles it’s still pretty damn cool; it makes you want to don your black skinny genes and slouch down the street whilst Philippakis roars in your ears.

I personally can’t wait to hear the new album, which drops in early February next year. It promises to be somewhat different to their old stuff, but special all the same. For those who can’t wait till then, the band is currently on tour in the UK – check out this website for more details.

8/10

Isla Hodgson

The Vaccines – ‘I Always Knew’

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As a massive fan of the Vaccines, I was really looking forward to hearing some of their new material – and I wasn’t disappointed. This is the third single from the band’s second album, Come of Age, following ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘No Hope’. The first two releases have proved very popular, getting tonnes of radio play and showcasing a new side to the band, which is a theme carried through into ‘I Always Knew’. The last album What did you expect from the Vaccines?  was a cult indie hit, although it had a much younger, punkier feel to it. The new album – as the name could suggest – is a lot more mature. As frontman Justin Young recently stated “We don’t want to be an indie band anymore, we want to be a rock band”, and it appears that this is a goal they’ve managed to achieve.

‘I Always Knew’ has everything that encompasses the Vaccines’ sound: Young’s indifferent drawl hovering above the Californian-style guitar riffs, and rolling drums that provide the fast-paced beat so characteristic of them. As can also be expected, the chorus is uber-catchy; simple and repetitive with a series of swooping “woah’s”. However, the whole sound is a lot more old-school than the last album’s offering, with a style reminiscent of 1960’s American preppy rock. A spray of surf-style guitar riffs, complete with heavy reverb, sweep across those rolling drums and practically have grabbing a board of your own and running off into the ocean (although I wouldn’t advise doing this in Aberdeen just now…).

Lyrically, the song isn’t a masterpiece. There’s nothing deep or intelligent about it, so don’t expect anything that will leave you contemplating the inner workings of Young’s mind. For example “Let’s go to bed before you say something real/let’s go to bed, before you say how you feel” is hardly anything that compares to say, Radiohead or Bon Iver. But that’s whats so irresistible about The Vaccines – it’s feel good preppy rock you don’t have to think about, just enjoy.

 Isla Hodgson